Teens

I Get Seizures But Tests Show I'm OK. What's Going On?

I'm 15. I had one seizure and my mom took me to a doctor to make sure that I was OK. My doctor did an EEG and an MRI to be safe and said there were a few abnormalities but overall I was fine and closed my case. Then, about 2 months later, I had another seizure. If they said before that I don't have epilepsy, then why did I have the other seizure? And could I have another one?
- Zoe*

Because you had another seizure since the tests, and your tests showed a few abnormalities, it is possible that you could have another seizure.

Go back to your doctor (or visit another doctor if you prefer) and explain what happened. There is a chance you might have something like epilepsy and the first series of tests didn't pick it up.

If you do have a condition that causes seizures, you'll probably need to get medication to control them. But you'll only know for sure by getting a follow-up exam or having the specialists take another look at your tests.

MRIs, EEGs, and other medical technologies are great for allowing doctors to get a look at the brain and see what's going on. But these technologies aren't foolproof. Sometimes an abnormality is so small that it's hard to see on an image or test, or it doesn't show up well. When an abnormality is subtle, it can sometimes take longer to diagnose a problem.